Girl shot by Taliban appears on video

BIRMINGHAM, England In her first video statement since she was nearly killed, a schoolgirl shot by the Taliban said Monday she would keep pushing for the same goal that got her shot – the campaign for girls education in Pakistan.

Speaking clearly but with the left side of her face appearing rigid, 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai said she is “getting better, day by day” after undergoing weeks of treatment at a British hospital.

“I want to serve. I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child, to be educated. For that reason, we have organized the Malala Fund,” she said in the video, made available by a public relations firm. The fund is a girls education charity set up in late 2012 by the international nonprofit Vital Voices.

Malala drew the world's attention when she was shot in the head by Taliban militants on Oct. 9 while on her way home from school in northwestern Pakistan. The Islamist group said it targeted her because she promoted girls education and “Western thinking” and criticized the militant group's behavior when it took over the scenic Swat Valley where she lived.

The shooting sparked outrage in Pakistan and elsewhere, and her story drew attention to the struggle for rights in her homeland.

“Today you can see that I am alive. I can speak, I can see you, I can see everyone,” Malala said. “It's just because of the prayers of people. Because all people – men, women, children – all of them have prayed for me. And because of all these prayers God has given me this new life. a second life.”

Malala was airlifted to Britain in October to receive specialized medical care and protection against further threats.

She is expected to remain for some time, as her father, Ziauddin, has secured a post with the Pakistani consulate in Birmingham.

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